The ANC Free State’s Interim Provincial Committee (IPC) is holding a crucial two-day economic conference at the Philip Sanders Resort in Bloemfontein starting this Thursday.
Announcing the conference, IPC spokesperson Oupa Khoabane said in a statement the party had realised there was an urgent need to reflect intensively on the economy of the province in light of the high level of unemployment rate, the impact of COVID-19 as well as the effects of the global economic crisis and trade wars.
“The IPC sub-committee on economic transformation was . . . tasked to develop the provincial economic recovery and transformation plan . . . in line with that of national,” said Khoabane.
Dubbed the Provincial Economic Recovery and Transformation Summit, the conference is being held under the theme “Building a social compact to accelerate economic recovery and reconstruction”.
Various presentations will be made to pave the way for discussions, including: “Economic Transformation and the National Economic Recovery Plan” by Human Settlements Minister Mamoloko Kubayi and “A Capable Developmental State For Economic Recovery” by Deputy Finance Minister David Masondo.
Economic Development MEC Makalo Mohale will lead a discussion on the draft Free State Integrated Local Economic Development and Transformation Bill, while Agriculture MEC Thembeni Nxangisa will focus on agricultural revolution in the province.
Khoabane said the summit is being attended by members of the IPC, alliance structures, mayors, chamber of mines, institutions of higher learning, strategic entities and ANC National Executive Committee members.
The official unemployment rate in the Free State now stands at 36.7 percent, according figures released by Statistics South Africa for the fourth quarter of 2021.
The province now has the third highest official unemployment figure in the country after the Eastern Cape which has 45 percent and Mpumalanga with 39.7 percent.
However, the expanded unemployment figure for the province – which includes discouraged jobseekers – is now 44.2 percent, most of whom are youths.
Put differently, it means the Free State, which has a population of about 2.9 million people, only has over 727 000 people who are employed.
Different industries including agriculture, mining, transport and manufacturing have continued to decline in recent years and the situation has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. – Staff Reporter